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Will Cleaning Remain an Important Process?
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
By Keith Robinson
No-clean solder paste is projected to limit the use of cleaning equipment in the SMT industry. However, increased demand for the advanced packages necessary in high-reliability applications is expected to sustain its presence in the electronics industry.
The SMT cleaning equipment market is intriguing. Some experts thought this market would die with the ban of certain chemistries used in solvents; others thought it would die with increased use of no-clean solder paste. However, the SMT cleaning equipment market has survived these threats. The market has sustained its presence in the SMT arena with an increased use of electronics advanced packages.
The three primary technologies in the SMT cleaning equipment market include:
- Aqueous cleaning equipment
- Semi-aqueous cleaning equipment
- Solvent cleaning equipment.
Various trends taking place help maintain demand in the SMT cleaning equipment markets. Several of these trends also provide a roadmap on the direction the electronics industry should take regarding cleaning. Some of these trends are listed:
Applications requiring high-reliability levels. Several industries help push the demand for SMT cleaning equipment with applications in the medical, telecommunications and military/aerospace markets. Small amounts of residue in high-reliability applications can cause malfunctions.
Resurgence is being driven by advanced packages. Recently, there was a trend of not cleaning assembled boards in the electronics industry. However, there has been resurgence in the cleaning market because of advanced packages. Packages such as ball grid arrays (BGA) are so fine pitched that cleaning is essential in ensuring that all residue is removed from the assembly. Even with no-clean solder paste, advanced packages still need to be cleaned.
Countries that are phasing out solvents are increasing aqueous cleaning equipment consumption. Several geographic regions of the world, especially the Pacific Rim and Europe, that were slow to phase out chemistries used in solvents have begun doing so, resulting in a growing demand for aqueous cleaning equipment in the SMT industry. North America, primarily the United States (which has strict regulations), already uses large amounts of aqueous cleaning equipment. As more geographic regions ban chemistries to meet the deadlines set in the Montreal Protocol for eliminating chemicals used in solvents, it is expected that sales will continue increasing for aqueous SMT cleaning equipment.
Closed-loop Systems Push SalesClosed-loop systems that recycle water in the SMT cleaning process help electronics assembly manufacturers reduce residue amounts found on assemblies. When using aqueous SMT cleaning systems, contamination occurs within the water. Typically, several assemblies are cleaned in the same water, which should be recycled to decrease the contaminates in the aqueous systems. Closed-loop systems not only recycle the water, but also help electronics manufacturers better manage wastewater, which saves them money.
While there are trends driving growth and providing a roadmap in the SMT cleaning markets, there also are trends limiting that growth. Some of these trends and perceptions have the potential to constrain this market drastically:
No-clean solder paste sales destroy cleaning equipment sales. The electronics industry primarily uses no-clean solder paste. In 2001, no-clean solder paste represented approximately 67.5 percent of the market, water soluble 12.5 percent and rosin-based solder paste 15.0 percent. No-clean solder paste eliminates the need for cleaning, although some electronics manufacturers still conduct some form of cleaning when using no-clean solder paste. No-clean solder paste also increases production yields for the electronics industry because the cleaning process is eliminated. More assemblies are produced in a shorter period of time by not cleaning. It is expected that the demand for no-clean solder paste will remain strong, thus restricting revenue growth for the SMT cleaning equipment market.
Government regulations on chemistries used in solvent cleaning equipment decimates the market. Since chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) have been banned, the solvent cleaning equipment market has been decimated. The ban also helped push the electronics industry to no-clean solder paste sooner. In the past, solvent-based cleaners were much faster than aqueous-based systems and cleaned better when compared to aqueous cleaning systems. As the Pacific Rim and rest of world (ROW) countries continue phasing out CFC use, SMT cleaning equipment market revenue rates will continue declining.
Reduced water-soluble and rosin-based solder paste use decreases SMT cleaning equipment demand. Water-soluble and rosin-based solder paste demand have been decreasing in the electronics industry. Water-soluble solder paste is used when assemblies can be cleaned by aqueous methods. Rosin-based solder paste is used when assemblies can be cleaned with solvents. These solder pastes are driving the SMT cleaning equipment market, but with lackluster demand they are restraining growth for SMT cleaning equipment. It is expected that demand will continue decreasing for these solder paste technologies, further decreasing demand for SMT cleaning equipment.
Several electronics manufacturers believe cleaning is unnecessary. One challenge SMT cleaning equipment manufacturers must overcome is the perception that cleaning is not a necessary process. While several electronics manufacturers believe that cleaning adds value, they also believe it is only required in high-reliability applications. As electronics manufacturers look for ways to increase production yields, it is expected that this restraint will continue undermining SMT cleaning equipment market growth.
Trends by Technology TypeTable 1 displays total percentage breakdown based on revenues by technology type in the world SMT cleaning equipment market. In 2001, inline SMT cleaning equipment was 85.1 percent of the market. It is expected that more electronics manufacturers will continue performing batch cleaning as opposed to inline cleaning in the electronics industry. It is projected that the market share for inline SMT cleaning equipment will decrease to 83.6 percent in 2006.
Batch cleaning equipment market share increased to 14.9 percent in 2001, and currently is experiencing increased revenues from electronics assembly manufacturers that have low- to medium-volume operations. It is projected that the market share for batch SMT cleaning equipment will increase to 16.4 percent in 2006.
Table 2 displays technology breakdown in the world SMT cleaning equipment market. With a ban on chemistries used in solvents, aqueous market share increased to 76.7 percent in 2001. It is projected that the aqueous SMT cleaning equipment market share will be 80.6 percent by 2006.
Semi-aqueous market share decreased to 18.0 percent in 2001. It is expected that an increased use of no-clean solder paste and high prices for chemistries will erode the market share for semi-aqueous SMT cleaning equipment, further decreasing its market share to an expected 15.9 percent in 2006.
The market share for solvent cleaning equipment was 5.3 percent in 2001. Although the Montreal Protocol banned several chemistries, it is expected that several regions of the world will ban solvents more slowly than North America and Europe, which will continue giving solvent SMT cleaning equipment a small amount of market share 3.5 percent by 2006.
Solvent cleaning equipment is in the retirement stage. It is anticipated that solvent cleaning equipment will move to the market death stage as more countries phase out harmful chemistries. Semi-aqueous cleaning equipment currently is in the market decay stage. It is anticipated to remain here over the next five years. The aqueous cleaning equipment market remains in the growth stage as more assemblers convert to the technology. It is anticipated that this market will move closer to the maturity stage as the solvent equipment market inches closer to its market death.
Overall, the jury is still out on the fate of the SMT cleaning equipment market. It is expected that no-clean solder paste will continue limiting its use in the SMT industry. However, with increasing demand from the medical and aerospace/defense markets, this industry is anticipated to maintain its presence in the electronics industry, but with a limited role in consumer markets.
Keith Robinson may be contacted at Frost & Sullivan, 7750 IH 10 W, Suite 910, San Antonio, TX 70229; (210) 247-2402; E-mail: krobinson@frost.com.